Prescriptions for low-income people offered on Web site

Kirsten Searer

Wednesday, May 12, 2004 | 8:59 a.m.

Many Nevadans on a fixed income don't know about a months-old Web site that could help them lower the costs of their prescription drugs, some state leaders said Tuesday.

The site, RxHelp4NV.org, helps low-income people connect with drug companies that offer assistance with the rising costs of about 400 different medications, said Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley, D-Las Vegas.

"It's really easy to use," she said.

The state site was established late last year after lawmakers realized that many drug companies offered assistance to low-income people, but residents in Nevada didn't know about it.

About 11,000 people have visited the site since October, said Valerie Rosalin, director of the state's Consumer Health Assistance program. But just about 800 people have used the site to help order prescriptions, she said.

"We're trying to assist people who really can't afford medications," Rosalin said. "They're trading off food for medication."

People who live below the federal poverty level usually qualify for help with drug costs, she said. Some people above the poverty level qualify if they have high medical costs, she said.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which helps run the new Nevada site, helped 6.2 million people find free or discounted prescriptions in 2003.

Tom Wood, chairman of the trade association, demonstrated the Web site on Tuesday at Spring Valley Library.

The site requires a person's name, age, income level, insurance information, the number of people in a household and the name of the up to five medications a person needs help buying.

Typing in an example, he found that a two-person household earning $10,000 a year could qualify for assistance to buy both Aricept and Wellbutrin, two medications commonly prescribed for Alzheimer's Disease.

"This is as simple as it probably is ever going to get," he said.

Patients also must have their doctors sign off on the program.

For more information on the Web site, call (702) 486-3587. Each of the 12 urban branches of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District has free Internet access that can be used to access the Web site.